


Discernment of the Detriments

by frey_ester



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Acceptance, Canon X OC - Freeform, Fluff, Genderfluid OC, Hyperion hates Dahl, Mild Angst, Other, confession of feelings, oc is child of Dahl CE0 au, pinning, self deprecation, waterworks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24777028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frey_ester/pseuds/frey_ester
Summary: This was my entry for the Borderlands Amino's Pride event challenge. I decided to write a short oneshot this year and not art. This is basically some self indulgent canon x oc content.
Relationships: Timothy Lawrence/Original Character(s)





	Discernment of the Detriments

Paseri occupied one of the many Hyperion chairs in front of a large viewing window of Helios. The young auburn-haired male impatiently waited in a lonely vacant hallway next to some large, flourishing décor bushes. He was currently wearing a Hyperion branded outfit, anything to make sure he didn’t stick out within the space station. Yet, the black bullymong leather top hat on the top of Paseri’s head along with his late mother’s emerald bolo tie around his shirt collar made an exception. 

Paseri sat there, peering down at Elpis with a solemn expression on his face. The moon appeared even more purple than usual to the young man. His reticent lime green eyes watched and studied the lava cracks on Elpis’ surface; he could not help but feel an instant ping of guilt form inside his stomach every time he looked at the moon. Even though what happened on Elpis had nothing to do with him, he had no hand in what happened. The  _ Crackening  _ was not done by him, nor the abandonment that created the Lost Legion was not due to his actions. But it had everything to do with _his_ father. 

‘It’s not your fault.’ Timothy’s voice echoed inside his head, or words he imagined his doppelganger friend would say. Tim, the very reason why he was currently lurking around Helios during late hours. Paseri usually evaded the Hyperion space station on a regular norm— that was until he, accidentally, ran into the Handsome Jack doppelganger, but now here he was sneaking into Helios on a nightly basis. They met on a day where his  _ Time Keeper _ abilities went a flux and he found himself smack down in the middle of the Helios space station, and in trouble no less. He really owed Timothy for saving him then.

Paseri was extremely lucky he ran into Timothy that moment and not Handsome Jack. He didn’t even want to begin to imagine what the CE0 of Hyperion would do to the second son of the Dahl corporation’s admiral. He had a feeling Handsome Jack wouldn’t even care if he was exiled or not from Dahl. He really didn’t want to think about it, yet the threat of the Hyperion CE0 was a calmer thought compared to what was currently on his mind. 

Timothy.

The doppelganger told Paseri he wanted to talk, which was causing dread to well up inside his stomach. _God. He could puke. No, no no no_. He needed to remain composed as he could. Calm. Paseri closed his eyes taking a deep breath through his nose and exhaled through pursed lips. _Just breathe and let it roll off your shoulders._

“Paseri?” a voice suddenly questioned out of nowhere, canceling the silence Paseri grown used to which made the auburn-haired male to jolt up with his back straight in the chair. He turned his head to confirm the owner of the voice. 

“T-Tim! Hey, uh, I didn’t see you there.” Paseri managed out, wriggling slightly in his chair with embarrassment. He quickly swallowed the hard lump in his throat, glancing toward the taller male. Timothy stood there wearing his normal Handsome Jack attire, but he wasn’t doing his ‘Jack act’ as he should have. The doppelganger smiled at Paseri with a small sheepish look on his face feeling bad for accidentally sneaking up on the daunted young man. 

“Ah, I didn’t mean to startle you. You, uh, all right? You look rather pale...” Timothy suddenly paused in realization. “Wait, wait, how long have you been waiting for me?” he inquired with his voice slightly crackling up to a higher pitch tone. The doppelganger then cautiously sat down next to Paseri in the chair next to him and discreetly moved his chair close to Paseri’s. 

_Oh, this was indeed awkward._ Paseri nervously played with his fingers while he avoided looking at the doppelganger. He felt small tingly spikes target his insides as he tried to ignore the feeling of contrite overcoming inside him. “An hour... I think? You said we needed to talk... this isn’t, well about me knowing who you are?” Paseri uttered, staring down at his dark-brown-ratch-leathered-pointy-toed-shoes. He was well aware that knowing Timothy’s actual name was illegal but explaining how he knew his name was a _whole different story_.

“What? No! I mean, I _am_ curious on how you knew my actual name- but we can talk about that another time. There’s something else I’ve been, uh, wanting to tell you...” Timothy responded with just as much sheepishness as the other male. 

“Oh.” Paseri hesitated. He already was filled with so much dread, hearing these words from Timothy just made him feel worse. Something had to be wrong, something wasn’t right and the feeling was boiling up from his stomach to his chest. This could only turn out bad, and he did not doubt it. “Did I? Or... is there something...? Did I do something wrong?” Paseri muttered, he shifted his eyes tightly to the floor refusing to even take a simple glance in Timothy’s direction. 

A strange noise— like a dog yelping —strangely came out of Timothy’s throat, without even thinking and acting on instinct, the doppelganger grabbed Paseri by the upper arm causing those lime green eyes to gaze upon him by a force of action. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Paseri.” Timothy assured him with a faint unsettled smile on his lips. He then awkwardly let go of the _Time Keeper’s_ arm with a small look of ‘sorry’ written on his face, he knew Paseri wasn’t a fan of people touching him without his say. “I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you’re thinking.” 

The look on Paseri’s face made it evident that he didn’t fully believe Timothy’s words, in other terms, he was suspicious. “You... don’t think... there’s something wrong or off with me? At all?” Paseri inquired, nervously gazing over to the brunette.

“Errm... no? Why would I think there’s something wrong with you?” Timothy stammered; his brows knitted in a frown. Tim grew tense with the fear he could mess up with what he was trying to say. He had needed to be clear for Paseri to understand. 

“You... don’t see any issues, with me? Not even at all?” Paseri blustered with confusion embodied onto his face. “I’m an anathema, Tim. I always have been, it’s bad enough that I’m an inept floozy. Everyone with Dahl knows this, why are you kind to me? You’re Hyperion, don’t you hate anything that has to do with Dahl?” the auburn male snapped with an unrelenting stare at the doppelganger. 

Timothy instantly caught off guard pusillanimously raised his hands, startled and confused. “Paseri... w-where is this all coming from? I-I didn’t mean to make you upset. I just... I don’t think you’re bad or wrong, or anything like that. I _really_ don’t care about Dahl or Hyperion, or any of the other companies. They’re all asshats, but... you... you’re different, a good different! I don’t know anyone like you.” Timothy managed out in a tight toned voice. 

Paseri furrowed his brows at Timothy not knowing what to think or believe. Was Tim saying what he thought Paseri wanted to hear? No, Timothy didn’t understand at all. “It’s not that simple, Tim. My whole life has been nothing but mistakes. My father has never redeemed me as someone worthy of his respect.” he faulted with his voice cracking and being on the verge of tears. “My little sister has more integrity than I ever will,” he uttered out. Paseri’s knuckles were white and held tightly into fists upon his lap. The auburn-haired male was trembling where he sat with a foreboding look of distraught on his face.

“I... don’t- agh, how do I say this? Look, your dad is an asshole and you really shouldn’t care about what he thinks. The whole military soldier thing Dahl has going on, cliché as hell. You shouldn’t beat yourself up about how he doesn’t accept you for who you are, Paseri. Honestly, that is his loss. And how your father treated you growing up wasn’t right and you’re not the one to be blamed for that.” Timothy then awkwardly paused, glancing down at Paseri’s hand that was resting on his lap. He was not sure if he should take the young man’s hand. _Oh, what the hell, just do it_. Timothy tentatively placed his hand ever so gently over Paseri’s hand and blinked surprised at how small Paseri's hand was.

“Tim, I know you’re just trying to help... but it doens’t really change how things are —”

“Paseri Wynn Dewsmorth, let me finish! _Please!_ ” Timothy interjected, almost yelling out upset at the _Time Keeper_. He then took a sharp inhale as he regained his composure and tried to ignore the small feeling of guilt from yelling at Paseri. “Sorry, I just... need to get this out. I feel if I don’t, things will, well, won’t change.” the doppelganger breathed out, looking at the smaller male with those duel eyes of olive green and baby blue. 

“S-S-Sorry, um... go on?” Paseri offered a forced, faint smile. Though his inner thoughts were entangling his emotions in a frenzied pit within his stomach. _This was going to end bad._ Timothy was going to end their friendship, and the idea made him nauseous. Paseri barely even noticed Timothy’s hand was over his. 

“You don’t bother me, nor are you patronizing like... well, everyone at Hyperion. Nor would I ever, LIKE ever assume you were part of Dahl, or well, who your parents are. What I am trying to say, I’m glad you’re not like them, Paseri. I’m okay with who you are.” Timothy urged, gazing at Paseri with unwavering eyes as he tried to get his _true_ meaning across to the other man. 

It just went over Paseri’s head. 

“No, you’re not! You couldn’t, I’m a freakin disaster. No matter how hard or how much I try, I won’t be enough! I won’t ever reach the same height as my older brother. I won’t ever be enough for him!!!” Paseri lamented with nystagmic eyes that missed nothing. He wanted to cry so bad and he knew Tim wouldn’t be okay seeing him do something so shameful. _He’s going to leave for good._

“Paseri!” Timothy suddenly took his face into his hands. “You’re enough,” he said in a soft and kind voice peering into the male’s lime green eyes that were shocked. “You’re enough.” Next thing Paseri knew, Timothy’s lips abruptly pressed against his in a saccharine kiss. Paseri felt his heart and blood racing madly to his head as he processed what on Helios just happened. One of Handsome Jack’s doppelgangers just kissed him! And to press matters further, Paseri was kissing him back! 

Paseri didn’t care if Helios crashed down into Elpis at that moment, hell, even Pandora! He didn’t care. He just wanted to keep the current presence stuck here forever, with his fingers in Timothy’s fluffy hair and the older man’s arms wrapped around him ever so tightly. But they had to pull away eventually. 

“H-How did you know!? That I like you?” Paseri proclaimed, flabbergasted on the heated moment they just shared. Paseri’s face was burning a bright shade of vermillion as he peered up at Timothy; he could feel his heart drumming intently inside his ears. 

I-I didn’t know?” Timothy stammered with a sheepish laugh. “But as I was trying to say, I like you, you dum-dum.” he smiled warmly to the younger man, pulling strands of Paseri’s hair out of his face. 

Paseri’s whole face continued to retain its bright crimson shade as he heard those words from Timothy’s lips, those lips that he was kissing just a while ago. He quickly wiped the tears from his face not realizing he was crying till now. “Y-you’re really okay with me? I mean-” Paseri stopped talking the moment Timothy placed his hand on his shoulder. 

“I have been okay with you... since, at least 24 hours after I met you. Even when you puked on my shoes that one time, and well... your, um, magical? Transitions??? It's been a tremendous adventure just to get to know you. It’s kind of scary, to be honest, everything is-” 

“Really unpredictable,” Paseri answered with a shy laugh followed by a sniffle and then nervously looked down at their hands, finally noticing that Timothy was now holding his hand. “You sure you’re really okay with me?” 

“Yes, Paseri. I really am.” Timothy confessed, nervously squeezing the younger man’s hand. 

“S-Sorry, this is all new to me. I... never thought anyone one would accept me... for well, me.” Paseri sniffled, trying to get a better hold of his emotions. 

“Pas, you’re fine the way you are,” Timothy responded, embracing him tightly in his arms and softly kissing the male on the forehead. 

“You’re enough.”


End file.
